What is research?

What is Research?

Research and the way we research is not just one thing they are all interrelated through a range of different thoughts, ideas and concepts. Research allows for the development of knowledge and creates the need to experience things.

‘Process is more important than outcome’ - Bruce Mau Design in. 

When the outcome drives the process we only ever go to where we’ve already been. If process drives outcome we may not know where we’re going, but we will know we want to be there. 

‘Doesn't just straighten and clarify the world it reflects the world as we venture beyond problem solving into process, experimentation and discovery’  -Martin Venesky.

If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it? - Albert Einstein.

Ideas are essential as research and ideas are not separate, ideas drive project forward, form possibilities that drive forward the ability to develop skills. Research is looking at everything that is already there but thinking about it in a way thats different to everyone else. 

Generation and Investigation of Ideas:

Stimulated approach:

Is a conscious or subcounsions search for inspiration from an external repertoire: in the surroundings, media, in discussion, libraries etc. The main concern here is the development of analogies and associative approaches which as further developed into individual solutions.

Systematic approach

Is based on systematic collective and modification of the components, characteristics and means of expression: such as by structure and restructuring, enlarging and reducing. Dismantle and deconstruct to see how an idea works. 

Intuitive Approach:

Development of thought process, internal repertoire of what you know creating your own practise.

What is research?

Research is the process of finding facts. These facts will lead to knowledge. Research is done by understanding what is already known. Innovative ideas come out of research which involves collecting information from a range of sources.

Types of Research:

Primary Research:

Developed or collected for a specific end use, you do and has never exists before. Data doest exist yet.

Secondary Research:

Published or recorded data that have already been collected for some other purpose. 

Analyse research to draw analogies to your project.

Quantitive research:

Deals with facts, figure and measurements and produces data which can be readily analysed. Quantitive research also generates numerical data or data that can be converted into numbers as it is objective as is can be proven. 

Qualitative Research:

Way to study people or systems by interacting and observing the subject meaning its not tangible/not necessarily provable.

What is information?

Information is the result of pressing manipulating and organising data in a way that adds to the knowledge of the person receiving it, data that has been processed to add or create meaning and knowledge for the person. Information should be sufficient, competent, relevant and useful in order to create high quality research which is essential.

Digital Production and distribution

'We shape our tools and then our tools shape us'

     Marshall McLuhan 1911-1980

Technological evolution:

To fully grasp the impact of technology one must examine figure and ground together, since neither is completely intelligible without the other. We must study media in a historical context, particularly in relation to the historical context at the time of production, as where we our today wont be the end point as technology will continue to develop. The present environment itself made up of previous technology.

Introduced idea of medium and the message:

Four elements we need to look at in relation to technological progress, Enhances, Retrives (figure qualities) Reverses, Obsolesces (ground qualities). 

Globalisation of digital production:

In 1990 the first mac was released this enhanced productivity and allowed for more edibility as user could now make mistakes and correct them. The first mac retrieved individual creativity in regard to typography but made obsolete mediums such as letraset and other traditional hand made layout methods. Consequently in 2014 Apple released the iPad which enhanced individual experience and the learning environment but made obsolete old work stations and laptops. The iPad also reversed novelty, expenses and access as well as retrieving the ability for individuals to record and document their own learning in the same room. 

The New Aesthetic:

James Bridles used to refer to increasing appearance of visual language of digital technology and the internet in the physical wolf and blending of virtual and physical. Referred to as the Digital Aesthetic. The digital aesthetic is associated with the digital clock and technology which has created an environment around something that is impossible to create without technology. 

The digital aesthetic has ground out of how we respond to the world visually which can be seen in the case of Paddington bear which has grown due to digital developments as it has moved from the real world in the form of green screen into the virtual world. This change has caused blurred lines between digital and physical, nostalgia vs innovation as visually there is not much difference however technologically they are very different as original paddington was a physical puppet whereas new the paddington is purely digital. 

Print culture 2

Theory:

In recent years there has been a return back to old methods of hand made production such as letterpress as it’s more personal and rewarding than the instant gratification achieved through digital design. Consequently this return to slower methods of production is not about nostalgia but about changing society to focus on quality not quantity.

Slow food movement:

Returning to local sourced methods of production and small scale production relationships has become a global trend/following in order to rebelling against what fast food stands for within our  cultural to return to quality. 

Slow Fashion:

Further rebellion against ‘fast’ culture by coping high fashion to create cheap clothes quickly to be sold sole for profit achieved through economies of scale in order to improve economic growth for businesses. 

Slow Design:

Focus on how practise relates to other people within the world and their individual environment.

This can be seen in the work of Anthon Burrill who placed his prints into circuits of market/advertising in order to comment on publicity and society. Furthermore slow design can be seen in the Print revival project which marks a return to  old fashioned print mediums taking on digital media on its own terms.

Nicolas Bourriaud:

Believe there is a tendency in contemporary arts to move away from creating things to focus on a message/issue to make social relations happen, create networks and collaboration. 

Barbara Kruger used her work with mass media ‘I shop therefore I am’ to contradict mass media based on the Latin phrase cogito ergo sum meaning I think therefore I am.

Slow design is important as its re-humanising society that has been dehumanised due to digital age.

Post Print Culture:

Technological reproduction of art removes aura/ air of importance surrounding art to create new hand made methods of production to create aura again. Post print culture shows a move beyond print culture to potentially digital due to the capacity for computer to create still image accurately, 

JR inside out project saw large scale photographs of people of importance put up throughout the walls in a community. This allowed JR to get people involved in his work by asking them who they wanted featured throughout there community.  In New Deli students chose photography of ‘famous women’ within society such as grandmothers and mothers to be put up around their community on houses or on billboards. Showing that digital culture can compliment/highlight print culture/ hand made. 

Study Task 3: Image notes

This Girl Can:

• empowering women
• staying up to stereotypes
• changing norms 

Protein World:

• conforming to gender stereotypes 
• conforming to society 
• objectives women body
• however also could be seen to empower women as should be proud of there bodies/ what they've achieved.
• Statement creates impression that women need to look a certain way to be accepted/ wear a bikini. 

Hugo Boss:

• objectives men as objects in similar way that protein world objectives women
• targeted at women and men as women do most of shopping and find male attractive/appealing and men respond to masculinity within advert as want to be like man in advert  in the same way women respond to protein world advert.
• more subjective as doesn't directly question if men need to look that way to be accepted in the same way as protein world. 

Dove:

• Embraces women bodies and all shapes and sizes
• empowers women to accept their bodies in similar way to This Girl Can campaign.
• Ignores stereotypes that all women have to look a certain way

Victoria Secret:

• Conforms to norms that women need to be tones/skinny to be sexy/attractive 
• Implies women need to be tall, toned
• all look similar, long hair, tall, slim
• No real diversity 

We Can Do It:

• Empowers women to work during war
• shows how advertising has changed
• used show power and importance of women during the war.